Balde has been linked with several clubs recently, and rumours at the weekend suggested he had completed a medical at Middlesbrough. It looked as though the big man was off to the Premiership, and almost signed a pre-contract with Boro.
The arrival of Stephane Henchoz appeared to be a replacement option for Balde, but now we have the rather unusual situation of players having to battle for places in the team.
Bobo Balde has his faults, but has been one of our key players since he signed from Toulouse in 2001. The securing of Balde for the next four years at least is just the latest piece of great news for Celts, who have recently secured John Hartson's immediate future and signed Stephane Henchoz and Craig Bellamy until the end of the season.